The ride to Jamestown is a classic Boulder County road ride. Jamestown is also the place where C4C found its original purpose in helping the town after the 2013 floods.
A great resource in general, one can locate Jamestown northwest of Boulder on the Boulder County Bike Map. It’s about a two hour ride out and back from central Boulder, more or less. The one trick is getting to Lefthand and James Canyons from Boulder. US 36 North Foothills Highway is a high-stress route with highway speed and volume traffic. Boulder County is working diligently to build a separated bikeway here. C4C is doing everything it can to help.
The next alternative from Boulder is to go over Olde Stage Road. The sight-lines, volumes, and speeds of auto traffic are better on this road but the shoulder is minimal or non-existent in places.
A third alternative is to go over Lee Hill Drive, connect to Lefthand Canyon, and turn downhill back to the base of James Canyon. Lee Hill is steep with blind curves in places and also has a shoulder that varies or is not usable.
Once in the canyons, the grade is steady but never severe. The Jamestown Mercantile or “Merc” is a great place to stop or the park across the street from the Merc is also nice. One can continue on up what’s called “Super James,” the continuation of the road towards the Peak to Peak Highway. Part of this is dirt. This adds significant difficulty to the ride.
For longtime Boulder County cyclists, Jamestown often remains in a weekly rotation from April or May to October or November. It’s a great ride if only for its simple pleasures.
After the 2013 floods, the road was rebuilt in James Canyon with an improved shoulder. It’s made a huge improvement for drivers and cyclists. C4C is grateful to all the residents in the area for their patience in sharing the road.
Pick your pace on Lefthand and James Canyons. The grade allows for a mellow ride up or full-on throw-down.